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One lesson of three decades working in parliament is that most MPs are dedicated and compassionate advocates who are not in it for the money, aren't all the same, and connect with their constituents. This applies in spades to Labour MP Jo Cox whose unspeakably brutal murder last week has deeply affected people.
Jo Cox was an officer for the development charity, Oxfam who visited war zones but was slain in her home town. I knew of her strong internationalism and asked her to visit the Kurdistan Region but she explained she had two young children. That she will now never go is a loss for Kurds too.
She was an invaluable voice on Syria. Last year, she joined former Conservative development minister Andrew Mitchell in outlining a plan for Syria which slammed the international community’s puny response to a conflict so horrific that over half its people have fled their homes. They advocated an integrated strategy that met refugees’ urgent needs, and increased diplomatic engagement.
They also backed military action because "it is not ethical to wish away the barrel bombs from the Syrian government when you have the capacity to stop them" and such action would encourage safe havens. Jo Cox showed no compunction in reaching beyond her Labour tribe.
Her neighbouring Conservative MP and APPG Kurdistan Chairman, Jason McCartney told me that "Jo was kind, passionate, energetic, always smiling and it's hard to believe she was only an MP for just over a year in everything she's already achieved. Despite being firmly rooted in our beautiful part of Yorkshire she campaigned on behalf of others in need round the world. [Recently] she was emailing me as we worked together to try and get urgent aid air drops into cut off villages in Syria - Jo wanted to use my RAF background and was always willing to work with politicians of any party to help her campaigns. We are already missing her dearly and our thoughts are with her husband Brendan, her children and her staff, two of whom were with her when the horrific attack took place. Rest in peace Jo."
The loss of her expertise and passion in advocating such liberal intervention is huge. Her murder gives her arguments no special status, although I suspect her passion for remaining in the EU may at the very least encourage people who share that view to vote this Thursday. And that a man arrested and charged with her murder gave his name in court as "Death to traitors. Freedom for Britain" must not taint those who advocate Brexit.
Popular grief will subside in time but the murder should prompt a deep reckoning on how to value public representatives and drain what Jeremy Corbyn calls the well of hatred that consumed Jo Cox and which has seen a massive increase in abuse and death threats on social media, especially against women.
There has never been a golden age of respect for MPs but the eruption of the social media has amplified the voices of cranks and cynics. Its poisoning of public discourse will deter good people from seeking public office. MPs also don't want to be cocooned in security that isolates them from the people but Daesh is probably watching with interest.
There are few simple legislative or security solutions. Somehow political culture has to be changed. Jo Cox set a good example in building cross-party alliances and deploying hard arguments against her foes when necessary. Shrill, simplistic, personalised and offensive campaigning has become widespread but moderate and reasoned debate is the only decent way of doing politics.
Moderation does not mean making politics bland or avoiding intellectual confrontation about values, interests and priorities but accusations of bad faith, caricatures and character assassination are fouling the air.
Labour MP Gisela Stuart argues that politicians tussling over the centre ground with often only nuances and shades means, in the words of a friend, “there‘s little change in the menu, they’re just arguing over who will be the cook”. I am not sure this cuts the mustard. There may be broad consensus around combining social justice and economic dynamism. But finding the best ingredients and capable and committed cooks makes all the difference between a dog's dinner and a feast.
This murder should mean not only celebrating Jo Cox's short-lived and stellar political contribution but also arresting the normalisation and dominance of extremism. That is easier said than done but nonetheless vital for British politics and could be a lasting legacy for a brave woman described by her local vicar as "a 21st century Good Samaritan" and encourage more people of her calibre into public life, rather than walking by on the other side.
Gary Kent is the director of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). He writes this column for Rudaw in a personal capacity. The address for the all-party group is appgkurdistan@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
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